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Uday Shankar on India Sports Economy and Growth Beyond Cricket
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Storyboard•15-10-2026, 08:49
Uday Shankar on India Sports Economy and Growth Beyond Cricket
- •Uday Shankar warns that soaring sports rights costs and slower advertising growth are putting intense financial pressure on live sports economics in India.
- •The merger creating JioStar successfully integrated two massive competitors, bringing together television, streaming platforms, and complex technology while protecting the consumer experience.
- •JioStar is positioning itself as a technology and creative company, leveraging artificial intelligence not just for content creation, but to transform monetisation and service delivery.
- •Expanding beyond cricket, kabaddi has successfully drawn 450 million viewers, though other sports require better infrastructure, patience, and ecosystem development.
- •Future IPL rights bidding may face market correction as media companies exercise caution and the gap between rising rights prices and low consumer paying capacity widens.
Key Questions Answered
Uday Shankar stated that rising media rights costs, alongside slower growth in advertising and subscription revenues, are placing significant economic strain on live sports in India.
JioStar treats AI as a tool to disrupt itself and transform how media is created, served, and monetized, rather than just using it for faster and more efficient content creation.
Kabaddi is already watched by about 450 million people, demonstrating that sports other than cricket can achieve massive viewership with long-term investment and commitment.
